All schools to get more money under Calif. reform

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- All California schools will receive at least the same amount of money as they currently do, and poorer ones will receive significantly more, under Gov. Jerry Brown's sweeping proposal to change K-12 education funding, according to district-by-district estimates released Wednesday.

Last month, the Democratic governor released a budget plan that proposed drastic changes to the way the state distributes money to schools. Brown has said such a change is necessary to provide more help to low-income schools, but some lawmakers have expressed concern that it would mean less funding for wealthier districts.

"Growing up in Compton or Richmond is not like it is to grow up in Los Gatos or Beverly Hills or Piedmont," Brown said last month in explaining his proposal. "It is controversial, but it is right and it's fair."

The figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Finance offer more details about how the proposal would affect every school district if lawmakers approve it. It is available at the Finance Department's website.

Under Brown's plan, schools with high proportions of English learners, foster children and low-income students would receive additional grants.

For example, in Los Angeles Unified — where 71 percent of students qualify for free and reduced meals, and 28 percent are English learners — funding per pupil would rise from $7,509 this year to $11,993 once the governor's proposal is fully implemented.

At Beverly Hills Unified — where 6 percent of students qualify for free and reduced meals, and 6 percent are English learners — the district's per pupil allotment would rise from $7,838 this year to just $8,523.

According to the Department of Finance, the "vast majority of school districts and charter schools (approximately 1,700) will receive moderate to significant funding increases." A district's overall per pupil spending could be more because of federal support.

Brown's overall budget plan calls for $2.7 billion more for elementary and secondary education and community colleges for the next fiscal year. Much of the funding will come from recent voter-approved hikes in the state sales tax and income taxes on the wealthy.